Lobsang Monlam
Living The Tibetan Tech Dream - Chat, Email In Tibetan
Photo by Lobsang Wangyal
Lobsang Monlam begins a new era of electronic communication
in Tibetan; Tibetan World's Tenzin Nyima takes you
through Lobsang's arduous but successful journey.
Go to the
Lobsang Monlam website
Download the
Monlam Bod-Yig V.2 font
Another story in the May 2007 issue of
Tibet Today
(scroll down about 3/4 of page)
Sending an Email or chatting with your loved ones in
Tibetan was unheard of until now, but one person is all
set to make that dream a reality — the person is none
other than Lobsang Monlam, a monk from Sera Monastery
in Bylakuppe.
The 31-year Amdo-born monk, who is already a familiar
name to most Tibetan computer users, began his journey
into the computer geek's world in 2002, when he, out of
sheer curiosity, bought his first computer. Lobsang, who
is currently pursuing his Geshe Degree studies at Sera
Monastic University, says the person who sold him the
computer taught him how to turn the machine on and off,
adding that he knew nothing else about the computer except
that it was an amazing technology.
Describing his journey, Lobsang says, with an almost
childlike excitement, "I had an extremely tough time
since I understood neither the computer nor a word of
English. Many a times, my computer would go blank and I
would wonder, 'Now what?' But even though they were
really difficult times, I still loved it since those were
learning experiences, helping me to eventually master all
the things I am working on right now."
For many, speaking about a monk may conjure up images of
monasteries or holy places with solemn monks religiously
following monastic studies and chanting prayers, but
Lobsang has gone beyond the stereotypical image. Never
losing a moment, Lobsang, who escaped to India in
1993, relentlessly worked on improving his knowledge
of the computer ever since he owned his first personal
machine. But perhaps, what is extraordinary is that the
monk has proved to be a genius in computer programming
even with barely knowing how to read and write English.
In 2005, he invented Monlam Bod Yig Version 1, which
although similar to the existing Tibetan fonts like TCRC
Bod Yig, had the additional U-Mey script version. Many
people from Tibet, especially those from his own hometown,
Amdo Ngawa, used the font, giving him relevant feedback
and suggestions to improve the font.
Last year, Lobsang launched his latest invention, Monlam
Bod Yig Version 2, a Unicode font. It is seen as a boon not only
for computer professionals but also for ordinary people
interested in just emailing and chatting online.
"Until today, we write Tibetan in a Word document and
then attach the file with our email. Now people can chat and
write emails in Tibetan language directly," says an
enthusiastic Lobsang.
Even with so much already on his platter, Lobsang reveals
that he has a few more projects related to Monlam
Fonts lined up. The new-age Tibetan computer genius,
who believes in the importance of feedback from users,
says he is awaiting the response from users to his new
invention. Lobsang avers, "I received a lot of feedback
from users for Version 1 of my font and those suggestions
resulted in the creation of Version 2. So, I will wait
and see."
Lobsang hints that if people find his Version 2 font
useful, he just might start working on a dictionary for
the words as well as a spell check, similar to that found
in Microsoft Word.
While one must wait and ascertain how many Tibetans
around the world will join in this new era of electronic
communication in Tibetan language, one cannot help but
applaud the efforts of Lobsang Monlam for initiating
the era.
It is indeed an exceptional thing to come across a monk
who writes software programs especially in a society
as conservative as ours where the roles of monks and
laypersons are very well defined.
(Editing by Tephun Tenzin Shastri and Tenzin Pema Chashar)
MONLAM BOD YIG VERSION 2 —
Frequently Asked Questions
-
How we can use Monlam Tibetan Font Version 2?
-
You simply need to install the fonts. It is available free
from his website
www.lobsangmonlam.org.
-
Is it user friendly?
-
Yes, it is very easy! You don't need any advanced computer
knowledge to work with Monlam Tibetan Fonts.
-
Is it commercial?
-
Monlam fonts are free. It is open software and has no
commercial value. Monlam Fonts exist only due to personal
interest of Lobsang Monlam and his urge in improving
Tibetan language among the youngsters since computer is
the most popular medium for today's younger generation.
-
What are the special features?
-
Monlam Tibetan Font Version 2 is not only a font which we
normally use in text documents such as Microsoft Word and
Notepad. It is in fact more than that. Following are some
of its special features:
-
-
Keyboard Compatibility:
Letters for Monlam Tibetan Font Version 2
are fixed in such a position that most commonly
used words are grouped at the most accessible position.
And it has very good compatibility with the English letters.
-
Time Saving:
Unlike other fonts, Monlam Tibetan Font
Version 2 saves a lot more time. It is almost like
you are typing an English word.
-
10 different printable fonts:
There are 10 different printable Tibetan fonts in Version
2. There are different types of U-Chen, U-Mey, Duk-Tsa
and Khyuk-Yik. There are few more web fonts as well.
-
You can directly change the fonts:
Unlike Monlam Tibetan Font Version 1, Version 2 has this
special feature of changing the fonts directly. If you
have a letter typed in U-Chen and at the end you want the
latter in Khyuk-Yik, you can directly change the fonts
(same as you do in English). In the first version, you
can't do that.
-
Help file:
Monlam V.2 has a beautiful, extensive help as a PDF file,
showing the features of the font and how to use them,
the keyboard layout, all the Monlam Art characters, and more.
-
Monlam Art:
The version 2 has also number of different Tibetan graphics
such as eight auspicious signs and other such Tibetan art.
-
Version 2 is a Unicode font:
This means that the font will work on any computer,
any operating system, now and into the future.
All modern fonts are now Unicode fonts.
To understand more about Unicode, see our
Unicode FAQ
-
Does it work properly with all the versions of MS Windows?
-
It works with MS Windows 2000 or higher. It also works
excellently with latest MS Windows Vista.
-
Other features:
-
If you don't know English at all...you can still work on
your computer by using Monlam Bod Yig Version 2. With
Monlam Bod Yig Version 2 you can almost change your
computer language. You can name your folders, files and
all other desktop icons in Tibetan. Almost all the commands
can be done in Tibetan.
-
Future Related Projects:
-
Monlam Tibetan Fonts Version 2 for Mac and Linux.
-
Spelling checking and dictionary facilities in Monlam Bod Yig Version 2.
You can download the Monlam Bod-Yig V.2 Unicode font here
on this site,
or from its home at
Lobsang Monlam's site.
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